English quicks best: Marsh

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The hands say it all. Rodney Marsh has the mitts of a man who
knows a thing or two about fast bowlers. So when he said this week
that England had the best group of quick bowlers in the world, it
was praise indeed.

After having his hands battered for 96 Tests as Australia's
wicketkeeper, with most of the damage caused by Dennis Lillee and
Jeff Thomson, Marsh, the director of England's national academy, is
not easily impressed.

But the present crop of bowlers has caused him to believe that
England could realistically threaten Australia.

"I believe you need at least 10 fast bowlers in a battery if you
are to be successful at the highest level, given that it is fast
bowlers that win the majority of Test matches," Marsh said.

"(England's) is looking like the best group of fast bowlers in
the world. It's high time someone said to Australia, 'Hang on a
minute, we reckon we can beat you and put you under pressure'. When
that happens we'll find out what is going on in world cricket."

Four of the players to impress Marsh, Jon Lewis, Sajid Mahmood,
David Stiff and Liam Plunkett, are on the academy roster this
winter. Two of them will go to India to work at Lillee's coaching
school in Chennai.

"We've done things a little differently this year," Marsh said.
"We've looked again at some of the guys who have not played for
England over the past three years but who we believe have a chance
of playing in the next World Cup.

"People have said to me that it's terrible that only one in four
progresses from the under-19s team to the full England side. But
that's bull.

"If you get one player a year, that's great . . . At the moment
England have got to the stage whereby the senior team are doing
well but they have to because there are guys waiting to take their
jobs in the team."

One such player is batsman Kevin Pietersen, who is looking to
confirm his belief that he should have been picked for England's
trip to South Africa, his homeland.

"I'm disappointed I wasn't picked for South Africa, because I
scored 5,500 runs at 54 for Notts," he said. "I've heard that they
don't want to take me back to South Africa with all the pressures
out there for me.

"I've been brought up in the English way, as my mum is English
and my family are very supportive about my decision.

"People have told me I could sell my British passport for
millions to youngsters in South Africa because everyone knows the
white youngsters aren't getting the opportunity there."